


Lumos

by canaca22



Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Childhood Friends, Christmas Fluff, Christmas at Hogwarts, Deaf Character, Deaf Ernst Robel, Deaf Moritz Stiefel, Deaf Otto Lammermeier, Deaf West Spring Awakening - Freeform, Eventual Relationships, Family Issues, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, ambiguous time period
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-07-20 00:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7383430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canaca22/pseuds/canaca22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hernst Hogwarts! AU</p><p>Tags will be updated as new chapters are posted.</p><p>When Ernst and Hanschen met for the first time in between Platform 9 and 10 during the beginning of their first year, neither knew of the unexpected friendship which was soon to bloom. The romance which would grow eventually was even more unexpected.</p><p>(ABANDONED FOR THE TIME BEING)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Friendship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MusicalNerd97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalNerd97/gifts).



1st year

 

When an owl had dropped a letter onto Ernst Röbel’s doorstep the boy had been more than surprised. After all, Ernst may have had some ...extraordinary abilities and had done things which couldn't be explained. But who would have come to the conclusion that he was a wizard?

Yet here he was.

At King's Cross Station sat on top of his baggage cart in between platforms 9 and 10 with his gangly legs dangling and his feet not quite touching the ground while hoards of people passed him without a second look.

Ernst silently cursed himself for telling his parents to leave him alone and to travel back to their small German town. Now there was no one there to help him or to guide him through the maze of platforms. What kind of a platform was nine and three quarters anyway?

Ernst was jolted out of his thoughts by a boy with neatly combed blonde hair nudging his cart with his own and who appeared to be saying something.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” The boy seemed to be saying.

Ernst blinked in confusion, not even having noticed the boy, how long had he been standing there?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small note pad. “Sorry, I’m deaf.” He jotted down before holding it out for the boy to see.

The blonde’s eyes widened with recognition and immediate shame. He began to apologize profusely before Ernst stopped him.

“It is fine.” He said aloud, his own voice not reaching his ears, “It happens all the time.”

The boy snatched the notebook from Ernst and scribbled down something before holding up his messy scrawl for Ernst to see, “I’m Hanschen. Do you know how to read lips?”

“I'm getting better.” Ernst replied with difficulty, “I also need to get better at speaking.”

The blonde haired boy, Hanschen, threw his head back in what Ernst could only assume to be a laugh and spoke with slow moving lips, “No. You're fine. Are you having trouble finding the platform too? I can show you how to get through if you want.”

Relief washed over Ernst and he nodded eagerly. He hopped off his cart and fixed his neatly pressed pants. Hanschen watched him in amusement before nudging Ernst's cart away from the brick, “You're in the way.” He mouthed.

Ernst’s cheeks immediately went red and pushed his cart so that it was in line with Hanschen, careful not to collide with any of the other fast moving people.

“Follow my lead.” Hanschen instructed and ran straight for the wall. Before Ernst could so much as cry out to warn him, the cart had vanished.

Ernst let out an unintentional cry of surprise, drawing disapproving looks from the people passing by. He approached the wall cautiously and put his hand onto the unforgiving brick, How…?

In his search for reasonable logic in order to explain the anomaly, Ernst didn't notice Hanschen reappeared until he tapped the boy on the shoulder causing him to jump in surprise, “Do you need help? Why haven't you gone through?” He mouthed.

“H-How?” Ernst felt himself stutter.

Hanschen muttered something to himself then, something about non magic parents before going over to stand beside Ernst and put his small hands on the cart too, “We can do it together. Just trust me.”

Ernst gulped back his fear and nodded hesitantly

“Here. I’ll tap three counts onto your hand.” Hanschen offered.

One tap.

Ernst tightened his grip on his cart, his knuckles turning white.

Two taps.

The world seemed to slow around them. It was just him, Hanschen and the cart. The warmth of his finger on Ernst's hand, the breeze tickling his ears and the vibrations of a train pulling up to the station

Three taps.

With a deep breath the two boys spread towards the brick wall. Ernst screwed his eyes shut and braced himself for impact but felt nothing but a new scent in the air. It was a breeze that carried the smell of cheap candy, bird dung and old leather.

Upon opening his eyes he was greeted by the sight of a gleaming red train and the hussle and busstle of teenagers boarding the train. Everything seemed so big. In comparison Ernst felt miniscule. What was a boy like him supposed to do in a place like this? He had no magical relatives, no animal to keep him company, he didn't even have the luxury of hearing! All he had was a trunk full of clothes and books, three pairs of socks (all of which had holes in them) and an impending sense of doom.

Ernst was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder and a pair of concerned eyes, “Are you okay?” Hanschen mouthed.

“Yes. Of course.” Ernst shook away his nerves, forcing himself to smile at the boy, “Thank you so much for your help, I hope that you have a good train ride.”

He was about to push his cart away when he was met with the resistance of Hanschen's hand on his wrist, “Why are you leaving?” He moved so that Ernst could read his lips, “I’ll sit with you, Ernst.”

“You will?” Ernst asked timidly, “You don't need to, I'm sure that you have other friends.”

“Maybe.” Hanschen shrugged, “But I like you Ernst.”

All of the protests died in Ernst's throat when he read this. Even though his words may have disappeared, a friendship was born in its place.

One which would bring many years of happiness, hardship, and most surprisingly heartbreak.

This is the story of how Ernst and Hanschen met and became inseparable.


	2. The Sorting Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sorting Ceremony takes place, but much to the boy's dismay they are sorted into different houses. How will each boy react to their new environment?

1st Year

 

“Slytherin!” The hat cried from on top of Hanschen's blonde head of hair. Satisfied with the hat's decision, he all but skipped over to the cheering table.

When Hanschen's father had sent him off to Hogwarts he had made it very clear that Hanschen was to become a Slytherin and to carry on their untainted pureblood legacy filled with previous Slytherin. Hanschen was glad to oblige, he only ever wished to please his father. However, after meeting the deaf boy, Ernst, on the train platform Hanschen began to have second thoughts about his father's instructions on who to associate with and who not to associate with.

From the moment Hanschen had seen the timid boy sitting on his luggage cart looking like a lost puppy, he could tell that he was one of those 'mudbloods' his father was always talking. From the expression on his face down to the ratted trunk he was sat upon he seemed like exactly the type of boy that Hanschen's father would disapprove of. But… There was something about that boy that made Hanschen want to give him a chance. Perhaps he wouldn't be a waste of space in Hogwarts like the other muggleborns, like his father had always said they were.

Hanschen watched intently as Ernst made his way up to the stool in front of the hall and had the hat placed on his head. When the hat began to speak, Ernst remained curiously unaffected by the hat's words. How curious, Hanschen thought to himself, nearly all of the other students had seemed jostled at the very least by the hat's words when they were being sorted.

Oh.

Hanschen almost wanted to smack himself for being so stupid. Of course Ernst wouldn't react to the hat's words, he wasn't able to hear the hat's voice!

The hat seemed to whisper into Ernst's absent ears for quite sometime until it finally crowed out, “Hufflepuff!”

The golden table erupted with applause, happy to welcome a new member into the house Hanschen's father had always referred to as containing 'the duds’. The movement coming from the table immediately drew Ernst's eye which prompted him to sit down among them. When he was comfortably seated, Ernst sent a regretful glance over at Hanschen which clearly portrayed his disliking for their separate sorting.

As much as Hanschen wished to spend more time with the boy, perhaps it was better that he was sorted into Hufflepuff. A muggleborn sorted into Slytherin is one thing, but a deaf muggleborn is another matter entirely. Hanschen had no doubt that Ernst could handle himself. From what he could gather on the train Ernst was an extremely intelligent boy, if a little naïve. Still, it was probably best that Ernst was among an accepting community rather than being sorted into a close minded one like Hanschen had.

Besides, it wasn't like they couldn't still be friends right?

Right.

 

° ° °

 

Even though Ernst wished that he had been sorted into the same house as Hanschen, he was rather happy with the house he had been sorted into. From what he could tell, the house was extremely welcoming. Already he had met several other first years who were eager to learn magic just like him. Georg, for example, from what Ernst was able gather from the boy and his rapidly moving lips was extremely excited to learn magic and even more so ecstatic to get away from his parents. Otto on the other hand was awkward at first but proved to be quite outgoing once he learned that Ernst was deaf just like him. Clearly, like Ernst, Otto was relieved to not have to communicate through voices that couldn't even be heard by his ears but rather socialize through sign language.

Ernst wished that Hanschen knew sign language too.

Despite how his lip reading was polished after years of practice, it had never felt right speaking with a voice he couldn't even hear.

As a child, Ernst had been made fun of multiple times because of his voice. The other boys in the village had the luxury of hearing their own voices but as soon as they encountered someone who sounded different, they pounced.

Ernst could understand why Otto had appeared withdrawn at first. If you have been told that a quality of yours, something you couldn't control, was flawed time after time you would shy away from using that quality too.

Still, it was nice to have a friend who knew what it was like to be deaf. In small towns it was rare to encounter any other deaf children, but in Hogwarts, which was nearly twice the size of his hometown, Ernst had allowed himself to be hopeful.

That night, when Ernst's head hit his welcoming pillow he felt astonishingly happy. Not only had he met another person like him, but he had made friends! He could already tell that Hogwarts was going to be a good place for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I know it's a fairly short chapter but I'm hoping that the next one will be a bit longer.


	3. Great Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When it is announced that flying lessons will commence that week, it is not uncommon for students to feel nervous. However what is uncommon is for a student to fall off of their broomstick entirely.

1st Year

  
  


Flying was hardly something that Ernst had been looking forward too, but even so he was nowhere near as anxious as Hanschen was.    
  
What once was a charming boy  practically radiating with charisma was now a bundle of nerves due to one stupid notice that had been pinned to the board within their respective common rooms.

 

“Honestly Hanschen I don't know what you're so anxious about.” Ernst said one day while they headed to Transfiguration, “I’m sure that there are plenty of precautions so that students don't get hurt.”

 

“You don't know that!” Hanschen sighed in exasperation, He had mentioned to Ernst before that he shuddered at the thought of drifting high off the ground… Where one wrong move could send him hurtling towards the earth, so Ernst could hardly blame Hanschen for his frustration.

 

Truthfully, Ernst was more scared than he let on. The other Hufflepuff boys who were from wizarding families were constantly discussing their childhood experiences about riding on their parents’ broomsticks, Ernst had no such luxury. He had spent his life with his feet firmly planted. He hoped that God would grant him mercy and that no one would be looking when Ernst inevitably fell flat on his face. 

 

Especially Hanschen.

  
  


° ° °

 

When the day came for both boys to make their way down to the Quidditch Pitch they were both a mess. Their situation was not aided by Melchior Gabor, a Ravenclaw boy who insisted that he was the best flyer out of the bunch, in the slightest. He bragged that he would surely make the Quidditch team in his second year.

 

“My mother always says that I’m practically a bird, you know-” He boasted, not seeming to care that neither Ernst nor Hanschen were really paying much attention, “I’m always up in the air, it's like I'm one with the wind.”

 

“We get it Gabor!” Hanschen all but snapped from pent up frustration, “Why don't you bother Moritz instead?” 

 

“I… Maybe I will!” Melchior huffed and strutted over to his friend Moritz who seemed to be practically drowning in his oversized Gryffindor scarf.

 

“There was no need to be rude.” Ernst scolded Hanschen, the force behind his voice a little stronger than usual, “He was only trying to be friendly.”

 

“Trust me, Melchior Gabor only brags about things for attention.” Hanschen glanced back at the brunette with a look of disdain, “Me? I’d rather bide my time.”

 

“And wait for what?” Ernst asked curiously.

 

“I'm not sure yet.” Hanschen shrugged, “An opportune moment I guess.”

 

They walked a little further together, enjoying the crisp autumn morning that Scotland had gifted them and made it to the Quidditch Pitch with time to spare. When they placed their book bags down onto the ground, Hanschen's made an extra loud clunk reminding him of the surprise it had inside.

 

“Wait!” Hanschen grabbed Ernst's arm before he could leave, “I have something to show you.”

 

“Really?” Ernst’s eyes lit up as he sat down on the dewy grass, evidently not minding the prospect of getting his cloak soaked, “What is it?”

 

Hanschen sat down on the grass beside him nearly vibrating with excitement, “You ready?”

 

“Yes! But not if you keep on stalling!” Ernst laughed.

 

Hanschen waited a moment, enjoying Ernst's anticipation before pulling out the book his mother had sent over via owl. 

 

“What is it?” Ernst asked, reaching over to run his fingers along the length of it’s spine.

 

“It’s a book on sign language!” Hanschen announced eagerly, “It will take time, but eventually I’ll be able to talk to you without you needing to say a word!”

 

“Hanschen…” Ernst replied in a soft voice filled with hidden emotion, “I’m touched!”

 

Hanschen was about to reply when a loud whistle sounded, signalling the beginning of their flying lesson and thus signalling Hanschen's stomach to turn itself inside out.

 

The boys shuffled over to the centerfield where the rest of the students had gathered. Broomsticks had been laid out in an orderly fashion all evenly spaced out. Hanschen had heard the older Slytherins complaining about the school broomsticks before, saying that they hardly ever flew straight and weren’t suitable for quidditch if their house had any hope of winning the house cup. Looking at them now, Hanschen had to agree.    
  
The school broomsticks were nothing like the polished and well kept broomsticks that his parents owned but were rather rickety old things with twigs bent at odd angles. Hanschen half hoped that this was some type of cruel joke that the professor was playing rather than actually expecting them to attempt to fly on the outdated sticks.

 

“Good morning class!” The teacher greeted them all too cheerfully for the current hour, “Let’s get started shall we? Everyone stand by a broomstick.”

 

With a sigh Hanschen reluctantly obeyed, staring down at his broomstick in dismay. He couldn't operate his parents’ broomstick at the best of times, how in the world was he supposed to use this?

 

“Now stick your right hand over your broom,” called the teacher over by the Ravenclaws, “and say, ‘Up’”

 

Hanschen did as he was told but cursed the tremble in his voice as he did so. He supposed that broomsticks must be able to sense when you’re nervous, much like the horses did back home, because all his broomstick did was roll over on the ground once.    
  
Defeated, Hanschen glanced around at his other classmates in the hopes that he wasn’t the only one having difficulty getting his broomstick off the ground. In fact, very few students had actually succeeded in this task, save for Melchior Gabor. 

 

_ ‘Show off…’ _ Hanschen thought to himself.

 

The teacher then showed the class how to properly mount their brooms without sliding off the end, to which Hanschen paid very close attention to, then moving up and down the rows so that they could correct the students’ grips. 

 

“Fantastic! Now when I blow my whistle, I want you to kick hard off of the ground.” The teacher said, “Keep your broom steady while you rise a few feet off of the ground, then touch back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle now- three- two-one”

 

When the whistle sounded Hanschen kicked off of the ground as hard as he could which promptly sent him flying upwards much higher than a few feet. He felt the wind rushing through his hair as his broom gradually climbed higher and higher.

 

_ “Shit!” _

 

As he was told, Hanschen leaned forward rapidly thus sending him towards the ground, only at a faster rate than ideal. His sweaty hands began to slip from the broom sending his body tipping to the side- He felt a horrified scream catch within his throat but was lost as soon as his body collided with the ground effectively knocking the air out of him. 

 

“Everyone out of the way!” The professor cried out and rushed over to where Hanschen laid sprawled out on the ground. They knelt down next to Hanschen, so close that he could see the remnants of that morning's breakfast clinging to their yellowing teeth, “Are you hurt, Mr. Rilow?”

 

“As far as I can tell, no.” Hanschen pulled himself off of the ground with difficulty, “Just a bit shocked.”

 

“Still, I don’t think that it is a good idea for you to continue flying today. We should send you right to the hospital wing just to make sure that you aren’t injured.” The professor then stood up and gazed around at the students attempting to decide who should escort the Slytherin into the hospital wing, “Mr. Robel?”

 

Ernst, who wasn't even aware that the professor was talking until Georg promptly elbowed him in the side drawing his attention away to where it lay on the blonde Slytherin on the ground back over to the professor, “Yes?”

 

The professor sighed to themselves before speaking with slow moving yet over exaggerated lips drawing snickering from a few of the students, “Can- You- Escort- Mr- Rilow- To- The- Hospital- Wing?”

 

Ernst bit his lip, not wanting to advertise his strong distaste for being spoken to as if he were a child, “Of course Professor.” he replied before walking over to Hanschen and helping him up so that they could retrieve their bags.

 

“Did it look as bad as it felt?” Hanschen asked sheepishly as they made their way over to the castle.

 

“I wouldn’t say so, no.” Ernst replied, “At least one person was bound to fall, it just happened to be you. 

 

“I guess so.” Hanschen sighed and pulled his cloak closer to his shivering body, “What about you? Were you any better at flying than me?”

 

“I wouldn’t say so, no.” Ernst felt himself laugh, “I didn't even make it off of the ground. The professor was too far away, I couldn't read their lips. “

 

“Wait, seriously?” Hanschen asked, not believing what he had heard, “The teacher really didn't make sure that you knew what they were saying?”

 

Ernst shrugged, “I’m used to it by now Hanschen, it's very rare that people take the time to let the deaf kids catch up.”

 

Hanschen struggled with the concept for a second. How could teachers be so careless? Surely Ernst wasn't the first deaf kid to come to hogwarts, hell he wasn't even the only one in his year. Why hadn't the teacher taken the time to make sure that Ernst knew what was going on? What if he had kicked up off of the ground too early? He couldn't have possibly heard the whistle, so it would have been easy for him to do so. If he hadn't known how to go down, Ernst wouldn't have just suffered a bruise, he could have been gravely injured!

 

“Hanschen?” Ernst drew Hanschen out of his thoughts, “Are you alright?”

 

“Never better.” Hanschen took Ernst’s hand and pulled him in the direction of the castle. “In fact, I have an idea.”

 

“Oh really?” Ernst smiled back at his friend and increased his pace so that he was able to match Hanschen’s, “And what’s that?”

 

“Skip class with me?” Hanschen suggested, “We could go over to the library and you could teach me some sign language.”

 

“You would do that?” Ernst asked, genuinely delighted with Hanschen’s proposition, “I.. I would love that, but should we really be skipping class? Wouldn't we get caught?”

 

“Won't get caught unless we look like we’ve done something wrong.” Hanschen replied lazily, “None of the teachers could possibly know that we have a class unless they had our schedules in their hands, and the flying professor will just assume that we stayed at the hospital wing. It's the perfect crime really.”

 

“Well when you put it that way-” Ernst began before Hanschen cut him off with a wave of his hand.

 

“It’s settled then.” Hanschen decided formally and pulled out his new book from his bag, “You’ll have to be patient with me though.”

 

_ ‘All the more time to spend with you’, _ Ernst thought to himself happily while they walked through the castle doors with the intent of spending the rest of the day together. Hanschen, although a bit clumsy with his spelling, caught onto sign language quickly much to his and Ernst’s delight. 

 

° ° °

 

_ ‘Perhaps falling off of my broomstick wasn’t so bad after all.’  _ Hanschen finally decided once the day had concluded, though he would never admit it out loud lest Melchior Gabor ever overhear it.


	4. The Flight of the Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spell casting is one thing, and it's always hard to do for any young witch or wizard, but when that witch of wizard is deaf it becomes near impossible. How can anyone possibly expect them to succeed in charms when there is such a great barrier to overcome?

1st Year

 

There was a reason that the classes Ernst had been most looking forward to were the ones that didn’t involve his voice. Potions was one such example. Ernst enjoyed potions mainly because it only involved steps which one must follow. Subjects like that came easy to him: Step + Step= Result. Like this, herbology was another subject he enjoyed. It simply involved attention and care to receive a good grade. The earthy smell of dirt and the pleasant satisfaction Ernst felt once the class was over only added to the overall charm of the class.    
  
Charms and Transfiguration on the other hand presented him with an issue, his voice. Latin was hard to speak at the best of times, what with its requirements to have a certain force behind one’s voice paired with perfect pronunciation Ernst was having more than his fair share of trouble with the words.

 

“Levio-... Levio-...” Ernst's brow furrowed in concentration while he attempted to correctly pronounce the incantation. Looking around though, it didn't look like many other of the students were having much luck. Even the hearing students were concentrating extremely hard for very few results, really only Melchior Gabor was able to have any luck at all.   _ “How does he do it?”  _ Ernst asked Moritz, the Gryffindor sitting next to him.

 

_ “I really don't know,”  _ Moritz signed back,  _ “Melchior was nice enough to write it out phonetically and I still can't seem to get it right.” _

 

“ _ He did?” _ Ernst’s eyes drifted down to the paper Moritz had sitting neatly on his desk,  _ “Would you mind if I took a look?” _

 

_ “Not at all,”  _ Moritz assured him and moved the paper so that it was situated right between them,  _ “You’re smarter than me anyway.” _

 

_ “That’s not true.”  _ Ernst assured him though he was flushing with pride.

 

By the time Ernst and Moritz had begun to feel like they may have a chance of making a feather hover off of the table, a few other students had successfully levitated their feathers higher than ever, only furthering the two boys’ enthusiasm,  _ “Ready?”  _ Ernst signed to Moritz with an excited smile.

 

_ “Ready.” _ Moritz replied firmly, his brow furrowed with concentration

 

“Wingardium Leviosa.” Ernst pronounced each syllable with precision but still his feather would not budge. He supposed that it could have been worse though, much worse judging by Georg  Zirschnitz who has somehow managed to catch his feather on fire. Moritz on the other hand seemed rather defeated by the failure.

 

_ “How could I have ever expected to be able to do spell casting?”  _ He signed with an agonized expression though he was more signing to himself rather than to Ernst,  _ “My parents could have had a son a million times better than me yet here I am! I can never be the wizard they always wanted me to be, I’m such a fool!” _

 

_ “It’s not your fault Moritz!”  _ Melchior insisted, who was sitting behind his best friend and had seen their conversation, “ _ You know, my father works at The Ministry and he told me that this year has an influx of deaf half bloods and muggleborns and no one knows why.”  _ He leaned in closer so that both of the boys could see and continued his conversation,  _ “But my father thinks it had to do with a dark wizard who did some sort of curse on the children being born that year. No one can prove it though!”  _

 

_ “Well what do you think, Melchi?”  _ Moritz questioned, leaning in closer so that he could hang onto Melchior’s every word.

 

_ “I don’t know what to think.”  _ Melchior admitted begrudgingly,  _ “But it really is so unfair that they aren’t accommodating you Moritz. One day, perhaps when I’m older, I can develop a manner of spell casting that doesn’t require words. Maybe something non verbal? Maybe something that uses sign language?”  _

 

_ “Nonverbal spell casting?”  _ Ernst leaned forward in interest,  _ “That’s a wonderful idea Melchior!” _

 

_ “I think so too.” _ Moritz agreed with some hesitation,  _ “But wouldn’t that take a lot of practice?” _

 

_ “Perhaps.”  _ Melchior nodded and flashed Moritz his usual charming smile,  _ “But wouldn’t that be grand?”  _

 

_ ° ° ° _

 

“How did you do in Charms class today Ernst?” Hanschen asked his friend while they strolled down the path that lead to The Black Lake. It was perhaps the last warm day Hogwarts would see this year, and it seemed as though half the school was determined to enjoy it. Shouts could be heard from every angle and flashes of red, yellow, blue and green could be seen peeking out of black cloaks while the students lamented in the beautiful day in tandem. 

 

“Fine, I suppose.”  Ernst replied with a shrug, “I wasn’t able to get my feather off of the table though.”

 

_ “What’s the sign for C-H-A-R-M-S?”  _ Hanschen signed with clumsy movements with a combination of actual signing and fingerspelling.

 

Ernst thought for a moment before replying, “Well, I suppose the closest sign would be the one for magic?” he suggested, “It looks like this.” He brought up his two hands in two loosely clasped fists and flicked the fingers outwards as if throwing confetti.

 

_ “Like this?”  _ Hanschen tried to mimic the sign the best he could with a self conscious smile.

_   
_ _ “Yes! Exactly!”  _ Ernst signed back with a laugh,  _ “You’re doing very well!” _

 

“All I got from that was yes, so I hope that meant I was right.” Hanschen admitted aloud and slung an arm around Ernst’s shoulders while they walked. They proceeded down the rocky steps leading to the lake in silence, only pulling apart to remove their shoes and socks so that they could dip their toes in the freezing water.

 

“You know,” Ernst mentioned after a prolonged silence filled with just staring at the calm water, “Melchior Gabor isn’t nearly as frustrating as you make him out to be, once you get around to talking to him he’s actually pretty smart.”

 

_ “You have Charms with him, yes?”  _ Hanschen signed with the uttermost concentration on getting each word correct.

 

“Yes, that’s right.” Ernst confirmed, “He was talking about one day developing a way of doing magic without talking, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

 

“I guess it would, if he could actually manage to pull it off.” Hanschen replied with a bark of laughter, “He’s all talk Ernst, I swear he drives me up the wall.”

 

_ “If you say so.” _ Ernst signed with a scoff, though more for his own benefit than anyone else’s, “Anyways, are you ready to go over some signs?” He asked the slytherin boy.

 

“Oh right!” Hanschen pulled out his rather obnoxiously large book detailing sign language, “But first can you show me a sign?”

 

“Yes, of course.” Ernst scootched closer to Hanschen and ignoring the uncomfortable scraping of rock as he did so, “What do you want me to teach you?”

 

_ “How do you say F-R-I-E-N-D in sign language?”, _ Hanschen half signed, half spelt with a bright smile.

 

“Like this.” Ernst placed a hand over his fist and brought it to his breastbone.

 

_ “And how do you say B-E-S-T?”  _ Hanschen nudged the hufflepuff boy playfully.

 

“The same way you sign 'you’re a nerd’.” Ernst replied with a laugh

  
_“Right. And uh, how do you sign that again?”_


	5. Letters From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Ernst and Hanschen receive letters from their respective families in regards to where they will be spending the holidays. While Ernst's family life is all but perfect, Hanschen's is quite the opposite. How will the rejection of his parents effect Hanschen? How will Ernst attempt to help him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry for the hiatus! Evidently, my first semester of university is a lot harder than I anticipated and is even more time consuming when I'm trying to juggle work on top of that. Plus being an English major requires a lot more writing than I thought. Anyway, I still wanted to get this chapter out before Christmas and really hope you enjoy it! Also if anyone has any ideas for any more first year chapter ideas before I move onto their second year PLEASE leave a comment! I would really appreciate that!
> 
> All signing and writing is in italics.

Chapter 5: Letters From Home

 

1st Year

 

Perhaps watching the letters arrive at any other school would be extremely mundane and boring, but at Hogwarts, it was a sight to behold. Owls flocked from all direction carrying parcels of all kid, ranging from newspapers to letters, to gifts even. To Ernst, this was one of the most marvellous times of the day, not only because of the sights of such pretty birds soaring about the room but because he enjoyed keeping in contact with his family.

 

For a person who craved independence and freedom so much, Ernst found it surprising how much he missed his family at times, however he wouldn’t give up his experience at hogwarts for anything.

 

Still, a letter from his parents was always sure to put a smile on his face.

 

December was just beginning, and already there was a light dusting of snow glittering upon the pointed castle roofs and intricate designs of frost crept up the edges of the cool glass windows. Hogwarts seemed to be alight with the Christmas spirit already though the month had only just begun. On the odd day, it wasn’t uncommon to see Georg, the curly haired Hufflepuff boy from Ernst’s dorm, decked out in a cheesy christmas sweater or to see his lips forming christmas carols as he skipped off to class, or to breakfast in this case.

 

The Hufflepuff table was practically radiating with good vibes that morning, and Ernst assumed it would be alight with excited chatter if his ears could have picked up on it. As per usual, the owls flocked into The Great Hall with such grace and elegance it nearly took Ernst’s breath away. He perked up significantly when he spotted his family’s owl swooping down to meet him and outstretched his arms to meet the friendly bird. Attached to the owl’s leg was a red envelope containing what Ernst assumed was the traditional christmas paper his mother always used to write letters on whenever December arrived. It was cheesy, yes, but it was endearing nonetheless.

 

Eagerly, Ernst torn open the envelope and hungrily devoured his mother’s kind words.

 

 

 

_My Dearest Son,_

 

 _Nothing could make me happier than to hear what a great time at Hogwarts you have been having. I confess, the family home feels empty without your light-hearted presence though your father and I couldn't be more proud of you! Yes, we were worried about sending you to Hogwarts in your condition but that has clearly not stopped you from making your time enjoyable. The way you talk about your new friend Hanschen makes it apparent that you both share an intimate connection, something you have always needed since you were a child. You must invite him to dinner one day!_ _Your father and I would love to meet him! Now while we are on the discussion of home, we were wondering what your plans are in terms of where you will be spending the holidays. Though nothing would give us more pleasure than to see you home once again it is your choice as to where you will spend your holidays. I trust you will choose well. In the meantime_ , _we will miss you dearly and will eagerly await your response._

 

_Your mother,_

_Frau Robel_

 

 

 

Ernst clutched the brightly coloured letter to his chest, unable to keep his big grin off of his face. Home! He couldn’t wait to see his parents again and to run his hands once more over his brightly quilted bed he had missed so dearly. He loved Hogwarts, yes, but there truly wasn’t a place he felt he truly belonged besides home. Home was where his mother baked cookies in the afternoon in the hopes of fattening her child up. Home was where his father sat at his desk with a furrowed brow and a pipe between his lips while he read book after book.

 

Home…

 

Home was where Ernst belonged.

 

Glancing down at his watch, Ernst gathered up his things and headed off to class. If he wanted to get back to his parents he must finish his classes first. There wasn't any point in rejoicing until school was officially over.

 

° ° °

 

Hanschen, on the other hand, dreaded whenever letters from his parents arrived. They loved him yes, but in the way a spoiled child loves their toy poodle. Some days he felt like he was a pawn in a greater game, a discussion topic at a fancy dinner where his father would boast about his pure blooded Slytherin son and how popular he was with his classmates and his professors.

 

As if.

 

His professors adored him yes, but only because he had become and expert in sucking up to authority figures just like his parents had taught him to. That hardly put him into the good graces with his classmates. On the contrary, it always seemed like the ever-so pretentious Melchior Gabor was the darling of his classmates, particularly the female ones who giggled in the back of the room amongst themselves.

 

“Melchior Gabor! He’s such a radical!” Oh please.

 

Still, his distaste for Melchior aside, Hanschen was grateful for Ernst at least. Even if all of his classmates continued to think of him as a snob at least Ernst would continue to be his friend. Yes, Ernst wasn’t at all the usual company his parents encouraged him to keep, but that could remain a secret for a little while longer couldn’t it?

 

Hanschen was yanked out of his thoughts over breakfast by a sharp peck on his finger. He instinctively jumped back with a yelp and yanked his throbbing index away from his family bird. The sleek raven looking owl squawked in annoyance and thrust out its leg, presenting a navy blue envelope with the Rilow crest marked on in silver. Hanschen took the letter begrudgingly and with his finger being soothed within his mouth began to read the cold and cursive script of his father.

 

 

 

_Hanschen,_

 

_Though I appreciate your letter inquiring about coming home for the holidays I must decline your request. Your mother and I are taking a business trip to France and we simply will not be able to take you along. I hope you will enjoy your Christmas at school and hope to hear from you soon._

 

_Regards,_

_Heir Rilow_

 

 

 

Hanschen had to restrain himself from slamming the letter down in frustration and disturb the silver plates and cutlery before him. Typical. Why should he have expected his parents to give a damn about him? All they’ve ever cared about was their jobs and their reputation. Never their only son! The Rilows were as cold as ice, and that was how they were expected to be. Hanschen should have never expected anything different from a family who prided themselves on their wealth and blood status to such a high degree.

 

With downcast eyes, the Slytherin boy made his way to his first class of the day, like his breakfast his heart was cold and stale.

 

Father would be proud.

 

° ° °

 

 _“Hello Hanschen!”_ Ernst signed cheerfully to his friend who had picked up sign language remarkably fast. He was in no way fluent at this point, but they had both made it a point in signing as often as necessary as to improve Hanschen’s use of the language.

 

 _“Hello Ernst,”_ Hanschen signed, doing his best to look rather bored to cover up how he was truly feeling after the rejection of his own flesh and blood, _“You look cheerful today.”_

 

 _“I am!”_ Ernst confessed, “My mother sent me a letter today inviting me home for the holidays!” He spoke the last portion aloud in order to accommodate Hanschen, completely oblivious to his friend’s sour mood.

 

 _“You’re going home?”_ Hanschen’s gut sank in disappointment. He had expected this from Ernst but hearing it made it no less painful. He really would be spending the holidays alone, wouldn’t he?

 

 _“Well yes,”_ Ernst signed back and placed his hand very tentatively over Hanschen’s, “Aren’t you?”

 

“Not this time.” Hanschen replied bitterly, “Apparently my parents think that vacationing is more important than seeing their son.”

 

“Oh.” Ernst frowned.

 

Before he could get another word in, the lesson had started which effectively ceased all conversation between Hanschen and Ernst. Unsurprisingly, Ernst found that he couldn’t concentrate at all during the entirety of the lesson and was too preoccupied with thoughts of his friend. Finally, an idea popped into his head, one he was reluctant to consider but willing to put into action for the sake of Hanschen. Prodding Hanschen’s arm, Ernst slid a note over to his side of the desk, _“Would you like me to stay with you over the holidays?”_

 

Hanschen’s eyes widened in surprise at the kind gesture and immediately scrawled back with his messy handwriting, _“You would do that?”_

 

 _“Of course.”_ Ernst scribbled back, _“We’re friends aren’t we?”_

 

 _“Well yes,”_ Hanschen wrote back, _“But what about your parents?”_

 

 _“Don’t think about that.”_ Ernst replied back with a firm expression on his face declaring the finality of the situation, _“This is about you.”_

 

Hanschen smiled gratefully at Ernst and squeezed his hand, mouthing _thank you_ before turning back to the board.

 

When Ernst attempted to get back on track he found that he was still unable to concentrate on the lesson before hand. Instead, he decided in the end to write a response back to his mother while he waited for his next class to commence. It couldn’t hurt, right?

 

 

_Hello Mother,_

 

_I’m sorry but it doesn’t look like I can come home this Christmas-_

 

He chewed on his quill in concentration before continuing, hoping to let her down as lightly as he possibly could.

 

_It’s not that I don’t want to come home because I really do! It’s just that Hanschen is staying here and I don’t want him to be alone. I’m sorry. I miss you and father and I can’t wait to see you at easter!_

 

_Your son,_

_Ernst._

 

Ernst sat back in satisfaction before slipping the piece of parchment back into his messy bag, confident that he had made the right decision. If he wouldn’t look out for Hanschen who would? They were best friends after all, and who wouldn’t want to spend the holidays with their best friend?

 

Now the only puzzle that remained was what Ernst would get Hanschen for Christmas.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Betaed by the wonderful MusicalNerd97!


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